Waiting
out the high winds on Everest: Summit Climb Everest 2004 North Side

Update 5/25/2004:
Dan
Mazur and around 7 climbers (plus Sherpas) are waiting out the high winds at
7600 meters. Two have attempted to go to 8300 meters. Others are with them...
This is "group 3" for the SummitClimb expedition headed by Dan Mazur.

5/2Dan
Mazur and 7 climbers (plus Sherpas) have headed up to the North Col for the
next in wave of summit attempts from this team...
3/2004.

Earlier update is below:
5/23/2004: Dear
EverestNews.com, Thanks for the great work you are doing at
EverestNews.com.

Here
is Franck Pitula's gripping account of his summit ascent for your French
speaking audience. I think they will enjoy it very much. Thanks again, you
guys at everestnews.com are great!

On the 18th of May there were
5 people on our team who arrived at the summit of Everest via the North face:
3 Americans, 1 French (myself) and 1 sherpa, all with oxygen. We have seen
uncertain weather windows, but it paid off. The second wave had little chance
as ultimately all things said snow. At the end of a very long effort, a South
African from our group has all the same arrived at the summit. The others had
to give up en route. This is something, but it is for the best: we arrived at
advance base camp alive and in near pretty good health. During these last
days, several people died in the same places where we have gone. Everest is
not reputed to be greatly technical, but it does not remain less dangerous. To
come down, it took me 3 days; I remained very concentrated. A bad slide that
happened 2 times without consequence can quickly turn dramatic. The place
called the "Second Step" is particularly difficult, both going up and coming
down. I implemented all of my knowledge as a mountaineer. A Korean chose the
bad fixed rope, and he remains there! Everest is a terrible experience, and
sometimes although one hears about its banality and ease, this is not true at
all.

Today some others are again
up high, but their chance of success is weak; there's a lot of snow. A third
team waits, but the weather forecasts are pessimistic. In all, we have 24
candidates and Sherpas who would like to make the summit. For we 6 who have
succeeded, it's over. The others wait with hope for a weather window. They
can't wait more than 3 days to leave for high up because to make the summit
requires about 5 days under 7000m. But the motivation is waning because
monsoons approach. One of the great difficulties on Everest is the waiting,
while watching health and motivation. This might appear petty, but it is more
difficult than speaking about the technique that one has or does not have,
which is much simpler.

Little by little, I realize
my climb. I believe that I am the 28th Frenchman to have summited Everest via
the North, and the 60th overall (to be confirmed). It is nothing. I think that
I will benefit better from all of this once the expedition is over.